1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a method for propagating an inquiries, and more particularly, to propagating an inquiry through the Internet.
2. Discussion of the Related Technology
Computer networks, such as the wired/wireless Internet and intranets, have already been widely used as popularized communication means. The World Wide Web (WWW) and the other means, such as e-mail and messenger services, that allow members of cyber society to share information or obtain knowledge based on such networks have been actively utilized.
A general method of obtaining knowledge with respect to a specific question or inquiry using a computer network generally is to ask a question to people of an acquaintance who is expected to have knowledge in the relevant field, by sending e-mail or making contact with the acquaintance via a messenger service. However, this method can be used with people having close relationships with the user who has a question. The number of people who has a close relationship may not be enough to obtain reliable answers.
Another method includes a method of posting a question on a bulletin board of an association of like-minded persons, a community website, or a portal website on the Internet, and waiting for an answer. However, in this method, the range is also limited to persons who frequently access the corresponding association, community webpage or portal website, the provision of an answer may not be guaranteed, and there are many cases where the reliability of answers is low because answers are made by unspecified persons.
Recently, Internet service for allowing users to construct an on-line network or human network with other people using a computer network such as the Internet has been actively provided. The term “human network” refers to a network formed between people who have made acquaintance through social interaction. The term “acquaintance” refers to the range of persons who earn trust therebetween to some degree as a result of sharing information, experience, ideas, and a sense of belonging to a cyber community to some degree. Based on the aspects of general social life, acquaintances are established by knowing each other through connections through existing acquaintances, through blood relations, school relationships or neighborhood relationships, through belonging to specific organizations, or through the performance of joint work in a company or team.
Recently, due to the development and popularization of computer networks such as the Internet, such acquaintances may be established on-line. Various service technologies for supporting the active construction of such on-line human networks and providing a function of searching for necessary persons on the constructed human network have been proposed. In the technologies for constructing and managing the on-line human network, the principal goal of technical development in the field are to guarantee mutual reliability in view of the characteristic of a network, such as the Internet, in which a unspecified number of persons can gain access to the network, to construct a wide human network, and to minimize inconvenience with respect to the procedure.
The foregoing discussion in this section is to provide general background information, and does not constitute an admission of prior art.